


That Time Barton and Romanov Made Skoulson Happen

by Skyson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Archery Lessons, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Flirting, PDA, Secrets, Sneaking Around, Sparring, match-makers Clint and Nat, skoulsonfest2k15redux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:07:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4400231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye and Coulson use the Retreat as a workstation for Caterpillars, and run into some old friends.</p><p>(Written for Skoulson RomFest 2k15 Redux, prompts used: the Retreat, PDA)</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Time Barton and Romanov Made Skoulson Happen

She rounded the corner into the living room, jerking to a stop when she came face to face with an arrow.

"Who are you?" The quiet, male voice demanded. Skye put her hands up, slowly, so he would see she was unarmed.

"Woah, woah woah!" She exclaimed, stepping around and backing into the living room, putting a little space between them. He followed her with the bow, unflinching, and Skye knew immediately who he was. "Watch it where you point that thing, Birdman. I'm with you." His eyebrow twitched, but otherwise he was unflappable.

"How did you get in here?" He asked, and Skye sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"I just _said_ I was one of - okay, can I warn my boss that you're out here with a trigger-finger? I don't think he likes surprises much." He narrowed his eyes and pointed the arrow down the hall, keeping one eye toward her.

"Call him out here," Clint ordered, "and tell him he better not be armed, or I may shoot first and ask questions later." Skye rolled her eyes.

"Hey, AC, we've got some friends out here!" Skye called out, having an idea that Natasha Romanov was somewhere nearby. "And he's got his bow locked and loaded, so I would suggest showing him your hands first!" Skye added. Clint scowled at her for a second, but quickly focused back on the hall when he heard movement. Skye knew the moment Coulson stepped out into the hall, because Clint blinked. Coulson walked slowly into the living room, meeting Skye's gaze, looking a little miffed.

"Did he hurt you?" Coulson asked when he stood next to Skye, and she shook her head.

"He took me by surprise; he's lucky _I_ didn't hurt _him_." Skye replied, and Coulson nodded in agreement. Clint kept his arrow trained on Coulson, staring.

"Hello, Agent Barton." Coulson said calmly.

"Shit," Clint breathed, sounding a little impressed, and pressed his finger against his earpiece, "Hey, Nat, you'll wanna come in here and see this..." Skye leaned over to ask lowly in Coulson's ear,

"Old friend of yours?" Coulson nodded. The sliding glass door on the other side of the living room slid open suddenly and Skye jumped, but Coulson only looked over calmly as Natasha Romanov walked into the house.

"Who are they?" Nat demanded, looking over them. Clint raised his eyebrow and didn't say anything as Nat visibly paused, her eyes going back to Coulson.

"Romanov," Coulson nodded his head.

"I told you, Nat," Barton started sounding excited, and he lowered his bow slightly, "I told you he was - "

"Who are you?" Natasha demanded, walking quickly toward them. She pressed her fingers against Coulson's jaw and forced his head to the side, feeling along the ridge of his jaw for any signs of a nano-mask. Not finding anything, she turned Coulson's face back toward her and peered closely into his eyes. "Are you an LMD? Who created you? Who do you work for?" Skye frowned, but Coulson looked calm as ever, even a little amused.

"My name is Phil Coulson," he replied, "I used to work for Director Fury, as an Agent of SHIELD." He smirked a little and added, "And, no, I am not a robot." Natasha narrowed her eyes, but Clint smiled.

"Told you I heard rumors!" Clint said to his partner, and she shook her head.

"Anyone could know that." She challenged Coulson, and when Skye opened her mouth to say something, Coulson put his hand on her arm to quiet her.

"I know that I gave _him_ the order to kill _you_ ," Coulson said quietly, his voice a little softer, gesturing his head toward Clint. "And, as he often likes to do, he disobeyed orders. And I ended up being very glad that he did." Natasha hesitated, still unsure.

"That information could have been discovered after I released all of SHIELD's information to the public." Coulson raised his eyebrow.

"Is it in a file somewhere that I once beat you at your own drinking game, and you still owe me a favor?" He folded his arms across his chest, and Clint lifted his eyebrows and whistled, turning away to hide his smirk from Natasha. She stared at Coulson for a beat.

"I went to your funeral, you asshole." She said, and then she stepped back and everyone seemed to relax. Clint sheathed the arrow and folded up his bow, setting it on the island countertop next to him. Coulson shrugged.

"Sorry. I would have liked to handle that part a bit differently than Fury did." Coulson said, slipping his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his feet. Skye kept her stance, still on edge, still half guarding him. Clint was nodding his head.

"I heard rumors that Fury had made the whole thing up. Some sort of ruse to get us all to play nice."

"Fucking ruse," Romanov scowled and shook her head, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned back against the counter, still watching Coulson closely although it was without the threatening aura that she'd been giving off earlier. "It wasn't a _card game_. We all thought you'd been _killed_." She still looked incredibly suspicious. "So who's she? And why are you here? With the tech you've got set up it hardly looks like you've _retired_." Skye frowned, not happy with being referred to as if she weren't present in the room.

" _I_ am his second in command," Skye said, jerking her thumb toward Coulson, who was watching her with a proud little grin on his face, "and _you_ have just been manhandling our _Director_." Clint frowned and shared a look with Natasha.

"Director? Of SHIELD? But Fury - " Clint wondered, and Coulson interrupted him,

"Fury's the face. I'm the one actually getting things done." He actually managed not to sound pompous when he said that, which impressed Skye. She elbowed him anyway, and he grunted. " _We_ are the ones actually getting things done." He amended, glancing at her, and she smiled at him sweetly.

"People still think you're dead," Natasha realized out loud, "So you're using that to your advantage." She paused for a moment, then looked at him with wide eyes. "You're the one who got us that intel on the Hydra base, aren't you?"

"And that helicarrier?" Clint interjected questioningly, and Coulson nodded.

"Damn, you've kept busy," Natasha sounded impressed, and Coulson grinned.

"A little, yeah," He admitted, and Skye finally started to relax a little. "So, what are you two doing here?"

"We're taking a bit of a breather," Natasha glanced at Clint, and Skye narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Things haven't been going so well in the little superhero family we've got going on."

"It never was, much, from what I remember," Coulson mused, but his grin dropped at the serious look from the other two.

"We were doing well, for a while there. Dysfunctional, but, we all still had the same goal in mind." Clint explained, and Coulson's brow furrowed in concern.

"You no longer have the same goals, I take it?" He asked, and Natasha nodded as she leaned against the bar counter next to Clint.

"This whole Ultron mess kicked it into gear. Stark and Rogers are _not_ a happy couple."

"Stark and Rogers were a couple?" Skye asked quickly, and Coulson pursed his lips.

"Skye," he admonished quietly. "not literally."

"Oh." She said, a little disappointed, and Coulson widened his eyes at her momentarily.

"Stark's taking a much-needed break from the team, with Pepper at a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. Rogers is training a new team, including the surviving Maximoff twin, whom I'm sure you know about, since you've actually been in charge of everything, apparently." Yeah, Natasha was still pretty bitter about that. "Clint and I are following up on some remaining Hydra leads."

"That's what you call a breather?" Skye wondered, impressed, looking at Clint. He smiled at her, and Coulson frowned.

"Romanov and Barton are two of my best agents." Coulson then said rather pointedly, "how's the family, Clint?" Clint's smile widened.

"Oh they're fantastic. We've just had a boy, Nathaniel," He said proudly.

"You have a baby?!" Skye exclaimed, and Clint laughed.

"Yeah, the rest of the team was just as surprised, trust me. Want to see pictures?" He asked, and Skye nodded emphatically, sliding between him and Natasha as he pulled out his phone.

Coulson watched them for a second, clearly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Natasha smirked.

"So," she began, moving to take Skye's place next to Coulson. "What are the two of _you_ doing here?" She looked at the computers they'd set up on the kitchen table.

"Same as you, it seems." Coulson replied, and Natasha looked at him for a long beat.

"You've gotten better at lying. I'm impressed. You're not as good as Fury, though." Natasha called him out, and then caught his glance toward Skye. "Are you," Natasha raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Agent Coulson, I knew you bent the rules a little but _this_ \- fraternizing with a lower level agent?" She clicked her tongue chidingly, and he frowned.

"We got rid of levels." He argued, and she smirked.

" _We_ , huh," she mused, looking back toward Skye. "Well, she _is_ pretty, and handled herself pretty well with Clint. And I'm guessing she's tech savvy, since you never were, and those programs look pretty high-tech."

"I'm Director now." Coulson reminded her. "I've learned some things along the way." Natasha laughed and shook her head.

"And yet you still can't lie to me," She mused. Coulson clenched his jaw, and she patted his arm consolingly. "Don't worry, _boss_. No one will hear about it from me." She promised him.

Coulson relaxed, deciding to use her misconception to his advantage, and nodded thankfully.

 

 **< ><><>**

As Clint cooked dinner (still smiling about his boss being alive), Coulson helped Skye move their tech equipment into what had been her room.

"Skye," Coulson spoke quietly, and she gave him a weird look.

"Why are you whispering?" She asked, just as quietly, and he glanced toward the doorway.

"I don't want them to know why we're really here," he explained, and she nodded.

"I figured. I've been careful." She promised him, and he nodded.

"Yes, I know, that's not the point." He took a deep breath, and then said, "Nat assumes we're here for _fun_ , and we're working some ongoing projects at the base while we're here."

"Fun?" Skye repeated, taking in his slightly embarrassed expression. Her face dropped. "Oh, Coulson, please tell me you didn't - "

"We need to move your stuff into my room." Coulson interrupted, confirming her suspicions, and she groaned.

" _Coulson_!"

"Shh!" He hissed, glancing back toward the door. "She was already thinking it and I just went with it! It's not going to be a big deal. We just need to pretend we're sleeping in the same room while they're here, and they might not be here for very long, they could find a Hydra lead that takes them somewhere else - "

"We can't _pretend_ to sleep in the same room with _two of the greatest spies_ in the house!" Skye retorted. "This is the comfiest bed I've slept in for _months_ , AC, come on..." She whined.

"My bed is just as comfortable." He grumbled, not happy with the situation either. "And it's a queen-size mattress, anyway, and you don't have to worry about me being a blanket hog." Skye seemed to mull over that information.

"Well... Okay, that helps," she admitted grudgingly. "But what about - "

"We'll work out the details as they come." Coulson assured her gently. "Just, please, can you move your things to my room? I'll make sure Clint and Nat stay in the kitchen." Skye nodded, gathered herself, and smiled confidently.

"We can do this. We can totally lie to two Avengers." She told herself, and Coulson squeezed her shoulder.

"We totally can." He smiled encouragingly, and then left the room. Skye sighed heavily and grabbed her things off of her dresser and her duffel, poking her head out into the hall before scurrying toward Coulson's room.

"We're totally screwed," Skye muttered to herself as she took in the room for a moment. It was larger than the other three bedrooms, and had its own connected bathroom.

She toed her shoes off next to the farthest side of the bed, assuming Coulson preferred to be closer to the door, and set her duffel bag under the window. The dresser in here already had Coulson's watch and Lola's keys resting on it, and she set her phone and hairbrush next to them. She took a deep breath in to calm her nerves, and discovered just how much Coulson's scent lingered in the room.

"We are _totally_ screwed," She moaned quietly, and then squared her shoulders before heading to the kitchen.

"Skye," Clint called her over to the stove, swallowing whatever had been in his mouth, "try out the sauce. Coulson and Nat have had it before, I wanna know what _you_ think." Skye grinned as she walked around the island counter, catching Coulson roll his eyes.

"Everyone loves your pasta sauce Clint, and you know it," Natasha threw a roll at the back of his head. "Stop flirting with the Assistant Director and finish cooking!" Clint flinched, looking sheepishly toward Skye.

"Sorry. You're nothing like Maria Hill, you know; I keep forgetting you're technically my boss."

"I don't mind," Skye grinned at him, "I don't want to be anyone's boss. That's _his_ job," Skye jerked her thumb toward Coulson, who was helping Nat set the table. "I just run the Welcome Wagon, and help him out when he needs it."

"The Welcome Wagon?" Clint wondered, and Coulson was the one who answered him,

"Our Index Recovery Team. We've renamed it,"

"Thank _God_ ," Skye interjected, pulling a smile out of Coulson,

"She's really good." Coulson told them proudly, and Nat smirked.

"I'm sure she is," She said suggestively, causing Coulson to immediately frown at her. She gave him an innocent look and moved around the counter to pick up the roll she had thrown at Clint. She blew across it, shrugged, and took a bite.

"The sauce is _amazing_ ," Skye changed the subject, licking clean the spoon she'd taste-tested with, and Barton smiled widely, pleased.

He and Skye brought the pasta and sauce to the table, and when they all moved to sit down, Nat grabbed Clint's arm to yank him down next to her, forcing Coulson to sit next to Skye. Coulson gave Nat an exasperated look while Clint looked confused.

"Why don't we let them sit next to each other. I'm sure they don't get to very often." Nat said, piling noodles onto her plate.

"They're _partners_ , why wouldn't they - " Clint stopped, realization dawning on his face. "Oh." He looked at Coulson, and when Coulson only blinked at him, he shrugged and grabbed the noodles from Nat. "Cool."

Skye smiled a little nervously at Coulson, and he squeezed her hand companionably before accepting the proffered bowl from Clint. He lifted the tongs toward Skye's plate, and she nodded a little in surprise, allowing him to dish out her noodles for her. He did the same with the sauce as it came around, making sure she had her food before he dealt with his own. She wondered if that was something Coulson usually did when on a date, or if it was just for Nat and Clint's benefit. She imagined it was probably something natural for Coulson, given that he was a gentleman about other things.

" _Sorry_ ," Clint exclaimed a minute later, his mouth full of food, "I've been flirting with your girlfriend!" Natasha rolled her eyes and Coulson chuckled.

"Don't worry Barton, I know you love your wife - you're never serious when you flirt with anyone else." Coulson assured him, and Clint relaxed.

"It's true," he said to Skye, "I'm not. It's just something I do, a tactic to get people to open up to me. Works on men and women alike," he winked at her, "hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"The only time I was uncomfortable today," Skye told him honestly, "was when you had an arrow pointed toward my eyeball." Well, that wasn't entirely honest - she was pretty uncomfortable about having to sleep next to Coulson tonight, but they didn't need to know about that.

After dinner, Coulson and Nat cleaned up while Skye and Clint checked the perimeter, and when they came back into the house it was to find Coulson and Nat laughing pretty hard about something.

"Well, I want to know if you've been keeping up, Mr. Director. How about we meet in the backyard tomorrow morning for a few rounds?" Nat challenged him, and Skye couldn't help the spark of jealousy curl in her gut.

Natasha was beautiful, regardless of her completely platonic relationship with Coulson. It would be difficult not to imagine them rolling around on the ground without feeling a little jealous - especially since _Skye_ was never gonna find herself 'going for a few rounds' with the Director.

"Careful, Coulson, she can handle the Hulk on her own," Clint warned him as he locked the door, and Coulson raised his eyebrows toward Nat, impressed. She shrugged and tossed the towel she'd been drying the dishes with onto the counter.

"You got it. Eight o'clock, before breakfast?" Coulson accepted the challenge, and Nat's grin had a shark-like quality to it.

"You're on, old man," She teased, punching Clint in the arm as she passed him on the way to her bedroom. Coulson frowned.

"I'm not old." He pouted, and Clint laughed and raised his eyebrows, trying to look innocent.

"See you in the morning," He said, knowing better than to go there with Coulson, and disappeared down the hall. Skye sighed tiredly, turning off the lights around the room. The one above the sink was last, and after she flicked it off she and Coulson were left standing there in the darkness. She blinked, urging her eyes to focus in the low light, and felt Coulson's hand high on her back, leading her ahead of him.

"Let's talk in the room," He suggested, and she nodded, hoping he couldn't feel her heart pounding. She walked into the room ahead of him, and he closed the door quietly behind them as she turned the lights on.

"I could change in the bathroom while you change out here," Skye suggested quietly, and Coulson nodded in agreement. They were quiet while they gathered their sleep clothes, the silence heavy and uncomfortable. She changed quickly into sweats and a baggy shirt, thankful that this had been what she'd brought from base. She took her time brushing her teeth, and pulling her hair back with a tie, to give him plenty of time to change. When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, he was in his pajamas and hanging up his suit jacket on a hook on the inside of the bedroom door.

His pajamas were, apparently, shorts and a t-shirt. Skye wasn't sure she'd seen so much of his legs before, and for that to be such an innocent expanse of skin, it made her awfully nervous.

"I see you've taken the left side of the bed," He pointed out, hovering by the door so he could flip the lights off once they were ready. "Thanks."

"I can sleep on any side, really. I don't really have a preferred side, between my van and the bunks..." She hesitated at the foot of the bed.

"This is good." Coulson assured her. "Is there... anything I can do to make you more comfortable about this?" Skye inwardly sighed, trying to relax.

"No, you... you just be you, and I'll be fine," She smiled a little, and he seemed relieved to hear that. She knew he was waiting for her to slip under the covers before he turned the lights out, so she did just that, releasing a happy noise as she sunk into the pillows. "Can we steal these and take them back to base?" She wondered, shifting comfortably and pulling the sheet up to her shoulders. The pillows smelled like him too, since they've been here for two nights already, and she surreptitiously breathed in deeply, his familiar scent surrounding her actually helping her to relax.

"Well, since I technically own anything that's SHIELD's, it wouldn't exactly be stealing..." Coulson pointed out as he got into the bed. She felt the mattress dip and the sheet ruffle a bit as he slipped under it, but he was right - it was large enough that she didn't feel cramped trying to keep from touching him. Coulson must've been able to tell how tense Skye was, because after a beat he sighed, "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to make you feel better?"

"I feel _fine_ ," She insisted. "Honestly, I'm just... worried that _I'm_ a blanket hog. It's been a while since I've had to share a blanket with anyone, you know." She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, chagrined. "I can't believe I just said that to you." Coulson laughed lightly.

"It's okay. I'm sure I've got you beat on that length of time," He replied easily, and Skye wasn't sure what she was more embarrassed about - that they had basically just told each other it had been a long time since they've been with another person, or that Coulson was probably most definitely thinking about Miles Lydon, and how Skye had literally been caught in the act.

"I'm sorry," Skye said meaningfully, "I'm sure this is weird for you, too. Don't worry about me, okay? If you're cool, I'm cool." Coulson was silent for a moment.

"I'm cool." He said quietly, in a way that Skye wasn't sure was actually true, but she wiggled again and settled herself, relaxing.

"Great," Skye said, and eventually he settled in too, shifting on his side. "Good night, AC," Skye whispered as she felt herself drifting off.

"Good night, Skye," Coulson replied softly.

 

 **< ><><>**

It was dark when Skye woke up, and she knew it was probably around 4:30. Even when May wasn't around for early morning Tai Chi, Skye's body immediately started waking up at this time every day, no matter how late she was up the night before. She would have sighed and stretched, but she realized she couldn't, and started breathing a little faster.

They had both moved in their sleep, meeting in the middle of the bed, curling against one another. Coulson was currently spooned around her, his arm wrapped snugly around her waist, holding her against him. Her pants legs were pushed up some, and his bare skin was pressing against hers with their tangled legs. She could feel what was probably his forehead pressed against the back of her head, his deep breaths ghosting through her hair.

And she'd shared a bed with Miles enough times to know exactly what it was pressing against her ass.

"Coulson?" She asked very quietly, knowing she wouldn't be able to extricate herself without waking him up. She breathed in slowly through her nose, trying to calm her heartbeat. No need for him to wake up finding her panicking. She was an adult. She could handle this.

Problem was, she wanted to handle this a little more unprofessionally than what _should_ happen. A lot more unprofessionally, really.

She mirrored her arm over his, resting her hand atop his and squeezing it gently.

"Coulson," She called just a bit louder, and his fingers curled against her stomach. He shifted a little, causing his erection to press into her a little more firmly, and she bit her lip as she resisted the urge to push back against him.

A sleepy, lusty noise sounded from the back of his throat, and he slowly thrust his hips against hers again, eliciting a small whine that she couldn't hold back. She rubbed against him before she could stop herself, feeling his cock twitch against her, and she closed her eyes. She needed to get up, this was like taking advantage, she couldn't keep doing this.

"Coulson." Skye whispered firmly, her foot sliding against his calf as she shifted to try and kick him. She didn't get that far, though, because he wrapped his arm even tighter around her, actively pulling her against him now as he slowly thrust his hips.

"Skye," He breathed just behind her ear, and she swore her heart stopped for a second. It sounded like he was _dreaming_ about her. About _her_. His movements against her started to take on a sort of sleepy rhythm, and she groaned quietly. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of happening, though she had expected it to happen from _her_ side, not his.

As it was, his shorts didn't do much to hinder his hard-on, and she could feel the shape of him pretty clearly against her. And he felt _really good_ against her, all of him did, from the breaths against her hair to his leg wedged between hers - and most definitely everything in between.

"Skye?" His voice sounded a little more clear and his body suddenly froze, telling her that he was probably much more conscious now. His hand still pressed over her lower abdomen, holding their bodies flush together.

She kept still, her hand mirrored over his and one of her legs resting over his. Maybe if she didn't respond, he wouldn't know she was awake.

"Fuck," he whispered, and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly, willing herself to not press back against him again. She felt him carefully pull his leg back, then his hand, and then he rolled away from her completely. The cold air hitting her back made her shiver, and she used that as an excuse to make an unhappy noise and shift a little.

The bed shifted slightly again after a moment, and she felt the comforter brought up further across her shoulders. He rolled back to his own side of the bed after making sure she was covered. Skye appreciated it, but the warmth of his body had been far better than a blanket.

There was no way she was going to get up anytime soon now, so she eventually dozed off again, and only came back to awareness when she heard Coulson get up and slip into the bathroom.

She checked the time on her phone and confirmed it was a quarter to eight, and flopped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. A part of her wondered if what had happened earlier had just been a dream, but when Coulson came back into the room looking a little worried when he saw that she was awake, she knew it had been very real. She decided immediately to feign innocence.

"Hey," her voice was dry and croaky in the morning, "want me to make you some coffee before you meet Natasha?" He looked relieved, and then pleased.

"Coffee would be amazing," he admitted softly, and Skye smiled up at him from the pillows. When she realized the image they were presenting, she closed her eyes to push the thought away and stretched, pushing the comforter down with her feet,

"Lemme just wake up myself, first... Gimme a minute."

"Sure," Coulson's voice cracked, but when Skye opened her eyes to look at him curiously, he had turned his focus toward the dresser, putting his back to her.

Skye spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen, deciding she would change after she ate breakfast. She made a large pot coffee and soon Clint stumbled into the kitchen, bleary eyed and brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Some of that's for me, right?" He asked, and Skye handed him a mug.

"Room for cream?" She asked as she poured, and he shook his head, watching the coffee flow as she filled it up. He nodded his thanks and sat down heavily in one of the bar seats, sipping at the hot coffee carefully.

Coulson came in wearing his workout gear, hesitating only momentarily over the image of Skye and Clint slouching next to one another at the counter, coffee in front of both of them. They both seemed preoccupied in their silence, so he didn't break it; instead choosing to stand in front of the sink and stare out the window at the backyard as he drank his coffee.

Skye had zoned out completely, and didn't realize until Clint had elbowed her that she was staring at Coulson's ass. She shifted her gaze to the coffee mug in front of her, scowling at the smirk on Clint's face.

Eventually, Coulson sighed and set his empty mug on the counter, and then slipped out the back door to meet Nat, who'd apparently already been outside.

Clint went back to his room to change, and Skye set about making some scrambled eggs for the two of them. She'd cooked and plated the eggs, and was setting the pan and spatula in the sink when she found herself frozen again, this time very consciously.

It was like watching a piece of art, in motion, the way Coulson and Nat were sparring. Nat was definitely the more lithe and flexible of the two, but Coulson had a sort of smoothness of his own in the way he moved. Any time one of them would secure a hold, they would let go fairly immediately and simply continue on, as if both of them were keenly aware of each moment one of them 'won'. Skye had no idea how they were keeping track of score, or if they even were at all.

At this point, both of them were covered in a fine sheen of sweat; tendrils of Nat's hair sticking to her neck, and Coulson's was sticking up in different directions. Watching his muscles flex as he moved, particularly his arms, Skye realized her mouth was open slightly and she snapped it shut.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Clint commented next to her, making her jump in surprise. He was sipping his second cup of coffee calmly, looking out the window, and Skye swallowed hard, feeling herself start to blush. "The sunrise. I love days I can catch it." Clint continued, as if he didn't notice any of Skye's reactions.

"Yeah." Skye cleared her throat, and had to drag her eyes away from the window. "The eggs are getting cold."

She didn't look back outside after that, and after they finished eating she hurried back to the bedroom as soon as Clint offered to clean up the breakfast dishes.

She'd just finished tying her shoes when there was a light knock on the door, and after she spoke up, Clint opened the door far enough to stick his head through.

"I had an idea," Clint suggested, his lowered voice making Skye raise her eyebrow. "How do you feel about learning some archery?"

"Really?" Skye exclaimed, standing and moving to the door to open it all the way. Clint's eyes darted over the haphazardly made bed and back to her, a grin forming on his face. Skye frowned at him, and folded her arms across her chest.

"How about we give the man a taste of his own medicine?" Clint offered.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Skye wondered, and Clint took her arm gently and pulled her with him down the hall.

"Ah, don't worry about it. C'mon, I'll show you some tricks." Clint pulled her through the house and out into the living room by her hand, not even pausing to say anything to Coulson, who was standing by the sink drinking a glass of water. Skye missed the look of surprised confusion on his face because she was too busy trying not to notice the beads of sweat dripping down his neck. "Come on," Clint muttered, tugging her out into the backyard, and she stumbled after him, her expression telling Coulson that she had no idea what was going on.

He watched over the edge of his glass as Clint practically dragged Skye through the yard, gesturing with his other hand as he said something. Coulson couldn't hear what he'd said, but Skye opened her mouth wide in indignation, shoved Clint away, and then they both laughed. Skye glanced back toward the house for a moment, and looked embarrassed. Coulson frowned as he refilled his glass.

"Teasing or not, I can see you still don't like Barton being friendly with your girl, huh?" Nat sounded entirely too amused as she bumped him to the side with her hip so she could fill her own glass with water.

"I'm not, that's not," Coulson tried to argue, but Nat only raised her eyebrow at him.

"Uh-huh." She moved toward the fridge and opened it to find something to eat. "Smells like eggs in here. Looks like they ate breakfast without us, too." Nat turned around and caught the look on Coulson's face, and she allowed the fridge to close behind her as she folded her arms across her chest. "Okay Coulson, I know you, and you don't make faces like that over a woman if she's already yours. You two aren't really together, are you?"

"Um," Coulson thought about how to cover.

"You two actually slept in the same bed last night to keep your cover." Nat sounded mildly impressed, but annoyed nonetheless. "What the hell are you two actually doing here?"

"What did you, break into the room while we were sleeping?" Coulson accused, frowning, and Nat narrowed her eyes at him.

"I poked around _all_ the rooms before going to sleep. You know me." Her tone did the eye rolling for her. "And I also know that whatever it is you guys are searching for, it's not Hydra. None of the points on your little map I saw yesterday match any of our points, and for a guy who says SHIELD no longer has levels, there's an awful lot of restricted-access-only on that equipment of yours."

"Skye's a computer whiz, you know this," Coulson shrugged, "She's set up - "

"You guys are hiding something you don't want the rest of SHIELD to know about."

" _Yes_ ," Coulson said with agitation, "and you've figured this part out _yesterday_ ,"

"Don't keep trying to sell that to me." Nat really did roll her eyes, this time. "I've seen the way she looks at you. Like she _wants_ you, not like she already has you."

"She," Coulson's eye twitched, "looks at me..." He trailed off and frowned again, quickly gathering himself. "I would have noticed something like that. You're just attempting to prove your own point,"

"I _am_ proving my own point, Coulson. You're too busy looking at her to realize that she's looking right back at you!" Nat laughed. "God, I never imagined I'd be the one giving out relationship advice." She shook her head. "I honestly don't care about your relationship with Skye one way or the other. I care if you're doing things behind our backs, hiding shit, because Hydra - "

" _We're not Hydra_." Coulson interrupted firmly, staring her down. "But the world is changing, Natasha, and SHIELD is changing with it. The problem is, there are quite a number of people within SHIELD that don't take too kindly to change, so I'm forced to handle this _delicately_."

Nat stared at him for a long moment, and he leaned back against the edge of the counter, taking a slow drink from his glass.

"Do any of those _changes_ have anything to do with how you're standing in front of me right now? Able to hold your own in a fight as if you were still in your thirties? Acting like a dork, pining for a woman half your age?" Nat looked at him curiously. "How old are you, Coulson?" She asked seriously. Coulson clenched his jaw and looked to the side.

"I don't know." He muttered.

"What?" Nat asked, not sure she heard him.

"I don't _know_." Coulson said louder, the look on his face telling her that this was the first time he's admitted it. "I told you last night about what Fury did, about Project TAHITI,"

"But you didn't actually tell us what Project TAHITI _was_ , only about its purpose. And I remember the way Skye had looked at you when you talked about it - she'd looked terrified. What the hell was it?"

"I'm not sure," Coulson told her, and he could say that part truthfully. "But it involved..." He shook his head. "Something ... Different." He looked at her. "I'm supposed to be 52, but Nat, you're right - I don't _feel_ 52\. I don't know all of what Fury did to me but - most of SHIELD doesn't even know I'm alive. I'm running things from the shadows, and Fury takes care of what's in the public eye."

"Like us. The Avengers." Nat said, and Coulson nodded.

"Skye, and you, and Agent May - "

"Agent May?" Nat interrupted. "I heard she went rogue." Coulson raised his eyebrow at her, and she nodded in understanding. "Of course. You two _were_ pretty close, before...."

"You three know more about my... re-animation... than anyone else. Other than my doctors, and Fury, anyway." Coulson had a flash of memory, of screaming, but he pushed it away. "It's already been proven to me that others would not take too kindly to their Director being... different." Nat gave him a look, clearly asking for more detail about that, but he wasn't going to give her any.

"Okay," Nat nodded slowly, "so what does that have to do with _her_? Why is she included in this secret... _thing_?"

"Because she," Coulson stopped. There was way too much behind that answer to explain it all to her. "Because I love her," he finally said, and Nat looked at him suspiciously. He blinked at her, allowing his expression to soften before turning back toward the sink, topping off his glass.

"So you're here because you're trying to change SHIELD," Nat thought out loud, and he heard her move to lean her hip against the counter near him, but he didn't turn to face her. "Skye's helping you, that's why she's here. Whatever these changes are you're making, you don't think they'll be accepted by the rest, which is why you aren't working at an actual base,"

"Well, we do have a headquarters. But we travel elsewhere when we're working... this other thing, yes." Coulson agreed.

"You're trying to reestablish old SHIELD, aren't you? Back before Fury, before the Battle of New York." Her eyes squinted, but it was more out of disbelief than suspicion, this time. "You want us back in the mindset of asking questions first, _before_ we shoot," she realized, and whistled. "You know how difficult that will be? People are terrified of the idea of aliens even more than the Americans were terrified of middle-easterners after 9-11."

"Hence, handling the situation _delicately_ ," Coulson pointed out with a grimace, only glancing at her. "And it's not just aliens. It's _anything_ found to be different. People like Dr Banner, who were in an accident; people like Thor who are from a different realm; people like Captain America, who are created against their will - "

"Rodgers was very willing, Coulson, and I know you know that." Natasha interrupted, and took a step closer to him. He faced her with a bit of defiance in his expression, and her eyes widened. "Did Fury _experiment_ on you, Coulson?" She wondered quietly, and he shook his head.

"Not on me, not exactly. People before me, yes. And even then, it wasn't sure to be a success," Coulson replied, mentally punching himself for letting himself get too emotional about Skye, yet again, and almost giving it away. Just like before, though, he went with Natasha's assumptions. "I'm not an LMD," Coulson told her with a shrug, "but I'm not sure what I am anymore. I was _dead_ , Natasha. For _days_. Whatever I am, I _can't_ be human. It's not _possible_." She opened her mouth to argue, and he shook his head. "I was _someplace else_ , Nat," Coulson revealed quietly, and she stared at him silently as he continued, "I wasn't _here_ anymore, but Fury pulled me back. He pulled me away from that place that I was..."

"Against your will." Nat whispered. "That's why Skye was looking at you like that last night, isn't it? Because she knows you hadn't wanted to come back. She knows you had wanted to stay..." In a rare show of emotion, Nat made a sad face and placed her hand on his arm for a few seconds.

"I'm glad, now," Coulson assured her softly, turning back toward the window. "If he hadn't brought me back and assigned me my own team, I wouldn't have met her." Nat followed his line of sight out into the yard, where Skye had a bow in her hands and Clint was shadowing her. "I'll always be thankful for that." Nat was silent for a moment.

"I wouldn't have pegged her to be your type," Nat admitted, and Coulson's smile was only apparent in the way the corners of his eyes crinkled.

"Skye has a way of making you see things differently," He explained, and Nat smirked.

"Well," she sighed, taking a drink of water and looking out the window again, "I'm going to agree that SHIELD is in dire need of some change. And no matter what you end up being, Coulson... I'd be honored to have you as my Director." Coulson looked at Nat with pleased surprise, but she continued looking calmly out the window. After a beat she gestured with her chin, "Joking aside, Clint is having too much fun out there."

Coulson jerked his eyes back toward the yard, and his fingers gripped his glass a little harder. Clint had his arms more or less around Skye, helping her stance and learn to draw the string back correctly. Before he really thought about it, Coulson set his glass down and stepped outside.

"Looks like it worked, he's coming," Clint whispered in Skye's ear, and she turned her head toward him to frown at him.

" _What_ worked?" She demanded, but Clint didn't answer; he pulled his (very nice) arms from around her and stepped back as Coulson approached them.

"Why don't I finish with the lesson while Barton conducts some business he has with Romanov?" Coulson suggested in that tone of voice that meant it wasn't a suggestion.

"You?" Skye asked, unable to hide her dubious surprise. "No offense, AC, but Clint is the best archer in the _world_ ," Skye said pointedly, and Coulson only looked expectantly at Clint.

"And he has some things to discuss with the best assassin in the world. Barton." Coulson ordered, and Clint nodded as a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Yessir," He gave him a two-finger salute, "I'll be back for my bow later." As he walked back toward the house, he grinned widely and gave Skye two thumbs up behind Coulson's back.

"While I never decided to hone my skills at archery, I do understand how it works," Coulson informed her, sounding a bit put-off that she was doubting his skills. "So," he nodded his head toward her and took Clint's position at her side. "As you were." He sounded incredibly relaxed, like this was something he did all the time, though Skye _knew_ this was definitely not something Coulson normally did.

She swallowed and squared her feet, her front facing the house and her head turned toward the tree Clint had been helping her aim at. She heard the grass shift under Coulson's feet and froze when she felt his front lightly brush against her back.

"Relax," Coulson urged, resting a hand on her shoulder. Remembering Clint's previous advice, and needing to focus on something other than Coulson's close proximity, Skye closed her eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. Her elbow dropped level and just as he murmured, "That's it," into her ear, she released the arrow.

It flew through the air with hardly a sound, and embedded itself into the tree with a thunk. Skye grinned widely and turned toward Coulson in excitement. His hand had slipped from her shoulder, but he hadn't stepped back from her, and their faces suddenly ended up very close.

"That was excellent," he praised her encouragingly, returning a smile, and Skye made a happy noise before turning back toward the tree. Before she did something stupid, like kiss him... "Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Coulson teased her, and she gave him a cheeky look as she reached for another arrow from the quiver on the ground at their feet.

"Well, Clint Barton _was_ just out here teaching me everything he knew."

"Where do you think _he_ learned?" Coulson retorted, miffed, and Skye smiled innocently.

"The circus, he told me." She replied, and Coulson laughed, his expression relaxing, bruised ego forgotten.

"It's true," he admitted. "Like I said, I never decided to work too hard on my archery skill. I'm more of a hand-to-hand combat guy, when I need to be."

"I've noticed," Skye replied, sticking her tongue out a little as she squared up and aimed at her target again. "You've got a pretty mean right hook, Mr Director."

"I've done a lot of martial arts," Coulson shrugged, still very much in her space, though his hand hadn't returned to her shoulder.

She recalled a flash of an image from this morning, of Coulson wrapping his legs around Natasha in a way that had immobilized her. Her hand twitched and the arrow snapped out before she was ready, flying up toward the tree line.

"It's takes a lot of practice, trust me," Coulson said, and she swallowed and lowered the bow for a second.

"Why don't we see if you remember anything you learned in training?" Skye challenged, holding the bow toward him. He blinked in surprise.

"Skye, I haven't handled a bow in years,"

"That's okay, I had an excellent teacher," Skye assured him, forcing the bow into his hands and putting her hands on his shoulders to switch their positions. "I'll help you out."

He slowly retrieved an arrow and positioned it against the string, looking toward the tree she'd been shooting at. She saw him swallow nervously as he raised the bow, though she didn't realize that it wasn't his archery he was nervous about.

She was a little shorter than him, but she could still easily reach around him to place one hand on his shoulder and the other over his hand on the bow. Her breasts pressed gently against his back, and she swore he shivered.

"Relax," she urged, using that same tone of voice he had, and he swallowed again. "Breathe in," She advised, enjoying herself entirely too much. "And as you breathe out, release," She breathed with him, and even though he hadn't changed yet from sparring with Nat, she found herself enjoying how he smelled. It wasn't bad, it was ... manly. And Coulson. She resisted the strong urge to press her lips against the nape of his neck, where the ends of his hair were still damp with sweat. She had definitely never wondered how someone's skin would taste, before, and she was a little appalled by her lack of mental control.

Coulson breathed out and released the arrow. It skittered off the edge of the tree and ricocheted into the ground, and he sighed.

"See, I told you this wasn't my forte," he spoke over his shoulder, lowering the bow.

"You also said it takes practice," Skye pointed out. "Why don't you try again?" She was selfish and didn't want to move out of his space yet. And, honestly, he didn't seem to be minding so much. As soon as he got another arrow ready to go, he resumed his stance, pressing his back against her slightly. He almost looked a little defiant as he did it, but he kept his gaze on the tree and raised the bow with more confidence.

"Stand up straight," Skye told him, realizing he was bending a little as if he were about to start throwing punches. Her hands slipped down to his waist and - _what the hell, Skye._ She was a little mortified with herself, but that was dulled by her surprise to find how fit he felt beneath that t-shirt. Her fingers curled around the tops of his hips and his spine straightened immediately, the muscles in his back flexing as he pulled the string back.

"How's my form, boss?" Coulson asked flippantly, though his voice sounded a little rougher than usual. He stood completely still, and Skye knew holding the draw back would require a bit of effort after a while.

"Hmm," she mused, pulling away from him and stepping around him slowly. She stayed behind the arrow, of course - no matter how much she trusted him, she wasn't stupid enough to walk in front of a loaded weapon. They raised their eyebrows defiantly at one another when they caught each other's gaze, and Skye nodded slowly. "Not bad, soldier," Skye eventually said, returning to her stance behind him. She pressed her palms between his shoulder blades, sliding them slowly down to the small of his back before returning them to where they had been on his waist. He moaned quietly, and she bit her lip to refrain from acknowledging it. "Straight as an arrow." She announced approvingly.

His shoulders shook twice with restrained laughter, and then he released the bowstring. It zinged through the air and made a satisfying sound in the bark of the tree, landing much harder than Skye's had. He stayed where he was, still, only dropping his arms. His head was still turned to the side, and Skye could see him shift his eyes to look at her.

"See, you aren't so bad after all." She told him quietly, her nose almost touching the back of his neck. She breathed against his skin and his body swayed slightly back against her, and she closed her eyes as she brushed her lips against his skin.

He sucked in a breath and she immediately came back to awareness, stepping away from him.

"I, uh, should get Clint his bow back to him." Her fingers brushed against his as she took the bow from him, the contact more solid than what he had felt against his neck.

As she hurried back into the house, he stood there wondering if he had imagined it.

The rest of the day had been so normal that Coulson finally decided that he had imagined her kissing him, that he had only wanted it so much that he confused his brain into thinking it may have actually happened.

Clint and Nat had gone off after one of their Hydra suspects, leaving Skye and Coulson alone to work some more on their own project. Skye was bouncing ideas off of him and discussing possible recruits with him the same she had been for the past few days, no sign of awkwardness at all.

So, he swallowed down his questions and he followed her lead, and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened this morning. Though, even if that kiss _hadn't_ been real, the whole archery lesson had been weird enough.

They managed to get a lot of work done before Nat and Clint showed up, pizza boxes and a twenty-four-bottle container of beer in their hands. This time Skye made sure to close down their equipment completely before meeting them all in the living room, and during dinner they listened to Clint and Nat tell them about their day.

The first weird moment happened when Clint asked Skye, with a peculiar glint in his eye, how her day had been. She'd narrowed her eyes at him, picked up her bottle of beer, and walked into the kitchen to throw her napkin away.

"You're an asshole," she told Clint, not really angrily, before disappearing down the hallway, and Coulson and Nat both gave Clint questioning looks. He shrugged and stuffed the rest of his remaining slice of pizza into his mouth.

Having had two beers, Skye was more tired than usual and collapsed onto the bed soon after changing, not even bothering to wait for Coulson.

She couldn't believe she'd kissed him this morning.

She also couldn't believe they _both_ proceeded to go about the day as if it hadn't happened. Maybe he hadn't noticed? She _had_ only barely touched him, after all. In any case, she was glad for the beer tonight. She was far from drunk, but she felt relaxed enough that she wasn't too worried about sharing a bed with Coulson tonight.

She dozed on and off for a bit, waking up a little when Coulson tiptoed into the room.

"What time is it?" She whispered groggily, disoriented. She had no idea how long ago dinner had been, and the rest of the house sounded silent.

"Past midnight," Coulson replied quietly, making sure the door was shut behind him. "Sorry, we got a bit carried away catching up." He sounded immensely happy, and Skye smiled through the darkness of the room.

"No need to apologize about that, AC," Skye said warmly. "I'm glad you guys have a chance to spend some time together." Her eyes were already adjusted to the darkness of the room, so she could see the wide smile that broke across Coulson's face.

He unbuckled his belt and pulled it off as he toed off his shoes, and Skye realized he was undressing right here in the room. She quickly turned onto her side, putting her back to him and closing her eyes to give him some privacy, anxious about what he was thinking. She heard him stumble and sit down on the edge of the bed, and she peeked over at him with one eye open. He looked like he was chuckling to himself, and she fleetingly wondered if she was actually still asleep.

"I think I had a bit too much to drink," he admitted, though he sounded pleased with himself. He got back to his feet and shuffled into the bathroom, flipping the light on but leaving the door open. Skye prayed fervently that he wasn't drunk enough to pee without shutting the door first, and breathed in relief when she heard him start to brush his teeth.

When he was finished he turned the lights off and shuffled back toward the bed, climbing under the sheets clad only in his white tee and boxer shorts. Skye swallowed hard, staring at the wall with wide eyes as she felt him settle in behind her.

Maybe two minutes after she thought he'd fallen asleep, she felt him press his fingertips against the back of her neck, and she jumped.

"Sorry," he apologized, "didn't mean to startle you." He brushed her hair carefully over her shoulder, and rubbed the pad of his thumb up the vertebrae of her neck, pressing in just enough to make her gasp. It was a quiet gasp, but there were no other sounds in the room to conceal it, and he made an affirming noise before pulling his hand back to himself. "I just wondered," he started.

"Coulson," Skye hissed, not unkindly, "go to sleep."

"But this morning," Coulson began again, and she felt her whole body tense.

"We are _not_ talking about this right now." Skye said firmly, and she could hear the pout in his voice,

"We didn't talk about it all day! I actually thought that it didn't happen!"

"Coulson, you are drunk. We can discuss this tomorrow." Skye ordered. She was still buzzed and relaxed enough that she was very close to giving in to the temptation, but she also knew she didn't want to start anything while he was in this state.

"I'm not _completely_ drunk." Coulson was really pouting, now, and Skye was quite thankful she wasn't able to see his face right now.

"Good _night_ , Coulson." Skye said, and he sighed loudly, but turned onto his side, away from her.

"I _know_ it really happened." He said defiantly, and Skye was silent for a few beats until she admitted quietly,

"Yes, it did."

 

  **< ><><>**

Skye was having the best sort of dream. It wasn't the first dirty dream she'd had about Coulson, but it was the first one she finally just decided to enjoy while it was happening.

_She was standing behind him in his office, both of them still almost fully dressed. Coulson was without his jacket, and his shirt was untucked. His pants were also wide open, because Skye had reached around and insinuated her hand inside, pulling his cock free._

_She kissed the back of his neck as she stroked him, and he groaned and leaned his head back, resting it on her shoulder. She tilted her head to kiss his jaw, and he turned to capture her lips briefly before lifting his head up again. She returned her lips to his neck, slowly kissing up the side toward his jaw as she slipped her other hand under his shirt and across his stomach._

_"Skye," He called out, making her name sound like it meant everything. "Skye,"_

_"Skye,"_ That was weird, that time it sounded like his voice had come from someplace else.

She furrowed her brow, struggling to open her eyes against the haze of sleep.

She was staring at the back of Coulson's head, her face tucked almost right against his neck.

"Skye," Coulson breathed, in a tone of voice that felt like liquid honey curling down her spine. Then, finally then, her brain caught up.

She'd woken up spooned against Coulson, and _her hand was down the front of his boxers_. Shit, she hadn't been dreaming - she'd been feeling him up in her sleep!

"Oh, God," she whispered, her hand stilling immediately. She was frozen, completely unsure what to do, her fingers still wrapped around his quite prominent erection.

"Don't stop, please," Coulson begged, once more sending that spark of warmth through her veins, even in her shock, "Please, Skye," Coulson's voice had her clenching her thighs together as she resisted from thrusting against him.

"Coulson," Skye began, not sure what she was going to say, but her mouth dried when his hand moved to join hers, wrapping around her fingers on his cock. She shifted her hand slightly under his, and he breathed in deeply, loosening his hold as he found she wasn't going to pull away. She stroked him slowly, twice, not as confident as she had been in her dream.

"Yes," Coulson whispered, "Just like that," he encouraged her.

Skye let out some sort of half-surprised, half-relieved noise, and hid her face against his neck. She wasn't going to lie, she was enjoying this too, but she wasn't exactly sure if this had been something he had wanted to happen.

"Skye," He breathed her name, and her hips jerked forward in an attempt to relieve some of her own building tension. His left arm drifted back over hers, his fingers grasping her hip for a moment before slipping under the waistline of her pants.

"Coulson?" Her caught breath was because she was nervous, but he thrust into her hand and pulled her attention back toward the hot skin against her palm. She rubbed her thumb against the tip of his cock and he gasped, his fingers pressing against her through her underwear.

"Skye," He whispered urgently, and she moved her hand at a more steady pace as he started to circle his fingers against her. She hummed and pushed against his hand when he hit a good spot, and once he found it he kept his fingers there, working her up pretty quickly.

"Coulson!" She gasped, and he shivered.

"Skye," He started breathing her name again, "Skye, Skye, Sk- ," he jerked in her hand as he came, she slowed her strokes again, helping him through it. " _Skye_ ," That's what did it for her, really; the way he said her name like that, and then she was coming against the press of his fingers, wetting her underwear even more.

They both paused as they caught their breath, eventually carefully disentangling themselves from one another so Coulson could turn around and face her. They blinked at each other, both of them with ridiculously sated expressions on their faces.

"Did we just...?" Skye asked carefully, and Coulson nodded. He reached out and rested his hand against the side of her face.

"I thought I was dreaming," he admitted, and Skye let out a nervous chuckle.

"I did, too." She replied, and his smile softened and widened. Skye's eyes darted all across his face, and she licked her lips. "Can I...?" They just had their hands down each other's pants; she wasn't sure why she was asking permission to _kiss_ him. They were skipping all sorts of steps with this relationship.

"Please," he whispered, almost the exact same way he'd whispered it when she first woke up, and they met one another in the space between, kissing open-mouthed and slow. It was a little sloppy; Skye was surprised by the way Coulson kissed, but it wasn’t bad. He kissed like he was tasting her, and when his tongue pressed into her mouth she grabbed onto his shirt and rolled to pull him on top of her. He wasn’t afraid to nestle his body atop hers and she smiled against his lips, shifting her knees a little to press against the outside of his hips.

“We should get cleaned up…” Skye suggested as he started peppering kisses down her neck. He lifted his head up to look at her, and damn if it looked exactly like the expression he had given Trip for that handheld hairdryer thing.

“Together?” He asked hopefully. It was an adorable look, but it pulled Skye out of the moment enough to make her laugh, and she pushed him off of her. He sat up on his elbows as he watched her get out of the bed and walk toward the bathroom.

“If you want any hot water…” She trailed off, giving him a look as she entered the bathroom. She grinned to herself as she heard him scramble to get up, and turned the shower on to let it warm up as she undressed. She could hardly believe this was really happening, after everything they’ve been through together, and she was a little surprised that all it took was a barely-there kiss against the back of his neck.

Well, that, and a mostly-unintentional hand-job.

He shut the door when he joined her in the bathroom, a serious, searching expression on his face. She had grabbed the ends of her shirt to pull it off, but she hesitated at his arrival.

“Skye,” He said, “I love you.”

 _Wow_ , skipping _all_ sorts of steps.

She wanted to be cool, and reply with something like, ‘I know’, or give him a coy little grin, but none of those things happened. She found herself trembling slightly and they reached for one another at the same time, hugging tightly. She never realized how much she’d wanted to hear those words before, especially those words from him.

“ _Coulson_ ,” She sobbed a little, a bit horrified that she was crying all over him, but he just held her tighter and brushed his hand against her hair. She didn’t know how to say it without it sounding contrived, like she was just returning the sentiment because he had said it. She wasn’t sure that ‘I love you’ even covered her feelings for him.

“It’s okay,” He said against her ear, as if he knew, and her fingers clenched the ends of his t-shirt.

They undressed one another slowly, revealing parts of themselves at a time, quiet and serious. Coulson allowed Skye to remove his prosthetic hand, and she was very careful as she placed it on the counter next to the sink.

They made love slowly and quietly, pressed up against the wall of the shower, releasing breaths of air against each other’s ear. That’s how Skye thought about it, ‘making love’, because it was nothing like the fucking she had done with Miles. That seemed like a lifetime ago, now. She’d been through so much since then, so much with this man, this man who was not simply fucking her under a spray of water. This man was making love to her; he loved her, and she loved back – and it’s not like she never loved Miles, but it hadn’t been like this. It hadn’t been anything like this.

He whispered her name against her temple as he came, water dripping off of his nose and chin as he touched his forehead against hers. She pressed her hands against his jaw, her thumbs almost touching his lips, tilting his head so she could kiss him. Water slipped between their skin and some into their mouths as they kissed, as Coulson moved his hand between them to help her come too.

After they caught their breath and their strength, they washed, dried, and dressed, grinning at one another the entire time and warning to be quiet so the others wouldn’t hear them.

He joined her for Tai-Chi later that morning, and Natasha walked into the kitchen as they were waiting on the coffeemaker to finish brewing. Neither of them saw her, because they were both standing with their backs to the room, and Coulson was busy whispering something into Skye’s ear. Skye laughed and slid her hand up his back, touching her fingers against the nape of his neck. He growled and just as his lips touched the skin just below her ear, he jumped away from her.

“I would rather not see the two of you start humping on the countertops, if you mind.” Nat spoke up wryly, and Skye turned quickly to face her, eyes wide with embarrassment as Coulson bent to pick something off of the floor.

“We weren’t - !” Skye tried to argue, and Nat rolled her eyes.

“Uh huh.” She looked at Coulson, and he swallowed and tossed her the hand towel he’d picked up; Nat must’ve thrown it at him when she walked in on them.

“Want some coffee?” Coulson asked calmly, and Nat shook her head.

“Maybe after my morning workout.” She slipped a pair of sunglasses on, and hesitated by the from door. “I don’t need to go warn Clint, do I, to make a lot of noise before he walks in?”

“ _No_.” Coulson sounded miffed, and Nat grinned at him. She gave them a little wave before disappearing outside, and Skye smirked as she tried to hold back a spurt of laughter. Coulson narrowed his eyes at her, and she pulled a serious face and turned back toward the coffee machine. She felt his eyes on her as she pulled out the carafe and poured them both a mug, but he kept his distance.

Which was probably a good idea, because she was now considering the height of the countertops to possibly be very useful for some things.

“Coffee,” Skye held the full mug out to him; this one read ‘kiss the cook’ on the side. He grinned as he took it from her, leaning forward with obvious intent. She rolled her eyes but gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“You know this means you’re cooking, tonight.” She advised him.

“Then I think I deserve a real kiss,” He pointed out, kissing her fully and swiping his tongue against her lip.

“ _Come on, guys,_ ” Clint’s whining voice pried them apart, and they turned away from one another, taking drinks of their coffee at the same time. Clint grumbled past them, going for the mug that Skye had knowingly set out for him, and Skye went to the fridge to put some creamer in her coffee.

“Don’t tell Natasha about that, okay?” Skye asked as she added the creamer, and Clint just looked up at her. He blinked, took a large swallow of coffee, and then blinked again. “Right. First cup. Okay.” Skye looked at Coulson, who was watching them with amusement. He, of course, already knew Clint’s ‘First-Cup-Of-Coffee Rule’. “I’m going to go check my emails. Maybe you could, I don’t know, check in with the Koenig’s or Agent May?”

“I’ve also got a dinner to plan.” Coulson shrugged, and they smiled at one another.

Clint cleared his throat heavily, and Skye and Coulson turned away from one another at the same time again, going their separate ways.

 

**< ><><> **

Hunter, who knew why they were at the Retreat and was one of the very select few trusted to help with their project, had sent Skye an email that he was dropping in sometime tonight to check in.

Of course, he showed up just in time for dinner, and _happened_ to not have eaten yet, so Coulson had Clint put out another setting at the table for him.

“Who’s this guy again?” Clint asked suspiciously, eyeing Hunter as he and Skye dug through the bags he’d brought. Coulson glanced toward the living room as he set the plate of fish on the table.

“Yes!” Skye crowed, holding up a package of Oreos in the air like they were a treasure. Coulson found himself smiling warmly at her as Hunter argued with her about who could share those particular snacks, and he knew he was being obvious, but he realized that he didn’t care.

“He’s one of my guys.” Coulson said, realizing that he was rather fond of Hunter, as well, and grimaced a little. He must’ve been hanging out with the younger man too much; he’d never expected he would end up considering the mercenary a _friend_. He followed Clint back into the kitchen and the two finished carrying the rest of the food to the table. “He reminds me of you, actually. Before you met Laura.”

“Hm.” Clint made a noncommittal noise as he put down the bowl of broccoli. “Does he know about you and Skye?” Coulson knew Clint was asking so he could be careful about what he said in mixed company, and Coulson appreciated it.

“No, he doesn’t, and I would _really_ like to keep it that way,” Coulson told him with some exasperation, and Clint raised his eyebrow slightly. Coulson sighed and lowered his voice, “Hunter has been trying to, I don’t know, figure us out, or get us together, or something. He’s always been _too interested_ in my relationship with Skye. I would never hear the end of it if he finds out we _are_ together.”

Clint grinned and winked at his old SO.

“Got it, Boss,” he teased, and Coulson rolled his eyes, but revealed a quick, thankful smile that the archer noticed.

“Okay, why the _hell_ are those two wrestling over a bag of Twizzlers?” Nat complained, standing in the entryway of the hall, watching Skye and Hunter with a tired look on her face. Coulson whipped his gaze toward the living room again, and he blinked.

Skye was on her back with Hunter on his back on top of her, scrambling as he tried to get a hold. Which, he couldn't, because Skye had her legs wrapped around his and one arm underneath his armpit and around his neck, the other holding his other arm to the floor, where his fingers were clenched around a bag of Twizzlers for dear life.

“No fair! No powers! No powers!” Hunter yelled, and Skye grunted out a laugh.

“I haven’t _used_ my powers, yet, Hunter,” She promised, smirking.

“Okay, okay you get the Twizzlers! Let me go!” Hunter grumbled, scrambling away from her as soon as she loosened her hold.

“Hey - !” Skye got to her feet, narrowing her eyes at him, as he danced away with the Twizzlers still in his hand.

“Crossed my fingers!” Hunter boasted, holding his other hand in the air with his first and second fingers twisted together. Skye’s eyes narrowed further, but then Nat snatched the bag from Hunter when he passed by her. Hunter jumped and squawked, not knowing that she had been there. “Not fair! Two against one!” He complained, and Nat rolled her eyes.

“I’m not on anybody’s side.” She informed him, tossing the bag to Coulson. He caught them and smiled at her carefully, setting the bag inside one of the drawers in the kitchen.

“Dinner’s ready.” Coulson said calmly, and both Skye and Hunter straightened immediately, settling down and smoothing out their rumpled clothing.

“ _Wow_ , I didn’t know you could do this!” Hunter exclaimed as he sat down next to Nat. “How come you never cooked for us while we were here before?” Nat, Clint, and Skye all raised their eyebrows toward Coulson, and he frowned as he sat at one of the ends of the table.

“Because we were a little _busy_ at the time, Hunter.” Coulson muttered, and Skye rested her hand on top of his briefly as she sat down at his right.

“Well, the upgrades are nice.” Hunter grumbled a little, glancing around the kitchen. “Still got those rocks for couches though, I noticed.”

“Upgrading facilities takes time and money, Hunter,” Coulson sighed good-naturedly, “neither of which I have much of. The only reason this kitchen is more equipped is because we knew that Skye and I would be spending more time here.”

“Uh huh,” Hunter said, very suggestively, and Nat smirked at Coulson’s uncomfortable look.

“What’s the news from HQ?” Coulson asked shortly, his tone reminding Hunter that he was still the Director. Hunter settled into his seat, but glanced at Nat and Clint before answering. “They’re fine.” Coulson told him, and he nodded.

“Alright…”  


**......  
**

After dinner, Coulson double-checked that all the perishable food items Hunter had brought were put away, and Nat offered to do the dishes. This meant, of course, that Clint was expected to join her, and he complained loudly but did as he was asked. Skye scrounged around for some extra linens so Hunter could spend the night one of the couches.

“The next thing this place is getting is new living room furniture,” Hunter informed Coulson seriously, who was cleaning up some old beer bottles that had been missed. “Hey, any more of those? You know, full ones?” He wondered hopefully, and Coulson raised his eyebrow. “What, it’s been a crappy week, okay, dealing with _May_ in charge…”

“I imagine.” Coulson replied, and gestured toward the fridge. “Check in there.”

Hunter hopped up and went for the fridge as Skye came back in and dumped an armful of blankets and pillows onto the couch he’d been sitting on. Coulson frowned at the bottle at his feet, mentally figuring how to get it with his hands being full already.

“Need a hand?” Skye asked, reaching for the bottle. He smirked at her.

“Already got one, thanks.” He joked. “Brand new model.”

“Hmm,” She mused, giving him a sideways look as she led the way out the back door, holding it open with her foot.

When he passed her she lifted her foot up to boot him in the ass, laughing and running off toward the trash bin. He made a noise of surprise and then jogged after her, carefully fumbling with the empty bottles in his arms so he didn’t drop them. Skye stood next to the bin and held it open for him, an expression on her face as if she had done nothing wrong, and was simply being helpful. He narrowed his eyes, and then reached for her quickly once his hands were empty. She laughed and ran off again, back toward the house. He knew they were being watched from the windows, so he refused to run after her again, a little embarrassed that he’d done so the first time. When she held the door open for him again though, he lifted his leg back and booted her as he walked inside, smiling with triumph when she jumped and opened her mouth in indignation.

Hunter was standing in the middle of the kitchen with a freshly-opened beer in his hand, frowning at them slightly, clearly unsure about what he had just observed.

“How about a game? I think I saw ‘Sorry’ in the hall closet.” Coulson suggested, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He slipped between Hunter and Nat as he went to the fridge and bent down to see if there was any beer left.

“I’ll get it!” Skye replied immediately, and Clint cheered about game night. Hunter leaned against the counter as he watched Nat flick soap suds at her partners face, and asked them if they were dating. Nat narrowed her eyes at him and tossed a soapy spoon at his chest. He flinched and opened his mouth to complain, but then stood their gaping as he caught Skye bump her hip against Coulson’s ass as she walked by him.

“Come on, she barely put anything behind that throw,” Clint rolled his eyes, picking up the spoon and tossing it back into the sink for Nat to rinse off.

“Did you… did you see that?” Hunter demanded, his voice dropped to a loud whisper. Clint and Nat glanced at one another warily.

“See what?” Clint wondered innocently, glancing toward the fridge, where Coulson was still digging around for something. “Coulson’s ass? Yeah, it’s not bad.” He shrugged. “I’m partial toward my wife, of course.” Nat snorted quietly and Hunter snapped his mouth closed and glared at them.

“Not _that_ – _Skye_.”

“Skye’s ass? I confess I haven’t really looked.” Nat replied, and Hunter huffed and set his beer down firmly on the counter.

“Skye and Coulson,” He peered into their eyes closely, “what they just did, outside and then just now. Alright, fess up. What’s been going on before I got here?”

“We’ve been working, Hunter. Gathering intel, while these two have been performing their own tasks in regards to Hydra.” Coulson answered Hunter, approaching them with two bottles in his hand. He opened them on the edge of the counter, then set one off to the side while he took a drink out of the other.

“Hydra.” Hunter repeated, and Coulson nodded.

“Hydra.” He confirmed, giving Hunter a look when Nat and Clint had focused back toward the remaining dishes. Hunter nodded, understanding that the secret project was to remain secret, but still suspicious about Coulson and Skye’s actions.

“Found it!” Skye called out, setting the board game on the living room table. “What, party in the kitchen?” She walked over and leaned across the island counter opposite of Coulson, and he pushed the other bottle of beer toward her. Hunter watched as she smiled at him and picked it up, her fingers brushing across Coulson’s. He wondered if that had happened on purpose, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Soon they all moved into the living room, gathering around the table as Skye set up the game. Clint announced, with a glint in his eye, that he would play the winner, and leaned back to watch. Hunter quickly announced he and Skye would be teammates, so they chose blue and green while Coulson and Nat got red and yellow.

Hunter noticed that anytime Skye would bump one of Coulson’s pieces, she would lean her shoulder against his and say, “Sorry!” with this look on her face, like she was singling out his pieces on purpose. And Hunter knew Coulson was a competitive guy when it came to games – he’d played cards often enough with the guy – but Coulson would only laugh at Skye and move on.

When Hunter and Skye eventually ended up winning, Skye announced that Hunter could play Clint, one-on-one, so it was more fair. She set her empty bottle by the sink and told them all goodnight before disappearing down the hall, much to Hunter’s surprise.

“It’s been a long day,” Coulson shrugged, and Nat raised her eyebrow.

“Doing _what_?” She wondered, and Coulson pursed his lips.

“Think I’ll head off too, actually.” He stood, picking up his empty bottle to deposit it next to Skye’s. “Don’t stay up too late,” He teased, leaving the three of them. Hunter raised his eyebrows toward Clint.

“If you’re married to someone else, and one of the four rooms back there is full of tech equipment…”

“Nat and Skye are sharing a room,” Clint replied distractedly, rolling his eyes as he figured his move on the board.

“Are you?” Hunter asked Nat quickly, with some interest, and Nat scowled at him.

“Don’t forget that I can silence you forever with this little game piece here.” She threatened him, holding up one of the red pawns. Hunter swallowed and nodded, once more paying attention to the game.

He realized he liked these two, as they traded barbs and Nat watched on, interjecting with corrections to stories every now and then as Clint would ‘tell them wrong’. They each had another beer before the night was over, and Hunter told them after Clint won the game that he wouldn’t mind working with them from time to time, should the opportunity arise. Nat eventually went off to bed as well, and Hunter and Clint spent some time trading stories about Coulson.

“Man, he really was a hard-ass back then, huh?” Hunter said, debating whether or not to go for a third beer.

“Yeah,” Clint sighed loudly as he got to his feet, taking his and Nat’s bottles to the kitchen. “He’s changed a lot.”

“I wonder what did it?” Hunter mused, deciding against the drink and following Clint to put his bottles next to the others. Clint looked a little surprised by the question.

“I figured you’d know?”

“A part of me wonders if it was her,” Hunter admitted, gesturing his head toward the dark hallway that led to the bedrooms. “But they already knew each other long before I joined the team.”

“She does seem pretty special,” Clint agreed thoughtfully, and Hunter jumped on that.

“A-ha!” His exclaim was a loud whisper, thank goodness, but it startled Clint nonetheless. “You see it too!”

“I don’t know what – ”

“Oh, _come on_ , you’re _Hawkeye_. You _see_ everything.” Hunter scoffed.

“It’s none of my business.” Clint shrugged, stepping toward the hall to indicate that he wasn’t going to stand around and gossip about their boss’s relationships. “If you need to get into the bathroom for anything, you can use it first. Just knock on my door and let me know when you’re finished.”

“Alright,” Hunter gave up, knowing he wouldn’t get anywhere tonight. Maybe he could hang around a little longer, do some more spying… “Thanks, mate.” Clint gave him a peculiar look at the term, as if he wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but nodded and then left the room. Hunter thought it was kind of creepy how he seemed to melt into the darkness; he couldn't hear the man’s breath or his footsteps whatsoever.

He shook his head and turned most of the lights off in the kitchen and living room, leaving a lamp on by the couch he would be sleeping on, and picking up his duffel bag.

He was in the middle of brushing his teeth when he thought he heard footsteps by the door, and he froze, wondering if someone unknown was the in the house. He wouldn’t expect any of the other four to feel the need to sneak around, so he quickly finished what he was doing and stuffed his things back into his bag, shutting the light off and then inching the bathroom door open slowly. There wasn’t any further movement that he could detect, so he tip-toed toward Clint's door to give it a knock, and then moved quietly back toward the living room.

There wasn’t anyone in there, either, or the kitchen. He stood straight and squinted, peering around and wondering if one of the others was hiding and trying to scare him.

“Hullo?” He whispered, getting no answer. He shrugged and tossed his duffel next to the couch, collapsing onto it with a grunt. “New couches, next. I swear.” He grumbled, switching the lamp off and rolling over with a huff. A minute later he flopped onto his back, throwing his arm above his head and maneuvering the pillow under him so he was sitting up slightly against the arm of the couch. As he settled down finally, he swore he heard a thump against the kitchen cabinets, and he held his breath, opening his eyes wide in the dark.

A minute passed, and he heard the slide of a sock on the linoleum.

“Sh!” Oh, that was _totally_ Skye. He grinned widely to himself, but then quickly schooled his features and let out a short snoring sound.

“He’s asleep. Hurry up.”

“He could be faking it!”

“If he knew we were both out here he would have confronted us by now. Come _on_.” Coulson was insistent, and Hunter could hear their hushed whispers quite clearly through the otherwise silent cabin.

“Who was it that said your ass was pretty great? Clint? Hmm,”

“ _Skye_ ,” There was another thump as, presumably Coulson, bumped into the cabinets.

“Haha, okay, okay,” She sounded incredibly amused. A moment later she asked, “Okay, Twizzlers or Oreos?”

“Um,” Coulson seemed to actually be considering the choices. What the hell… “Oreos.”

Hunter heard a drawer open slowly and then the distinct rustle of plastic – they were making off with the candy when no one could fight for it! Well, he could, but he was supposed to be asleep. To blow his cover, or to save himself some cookies?

“ _Coulson_.” Whatever had happened, Skye’s tone of voice made Hunter feel weird, and firmly decide that keeping his cover was more important.

“It’s Nat’s fault, putting the idea in my head,” Hunter valiantly tried not to think about why Coulson’s voice sounded all muffled, “Plus, she’s not here to see,” Skye moaned, and then hissed,

“ _Hunter is on the couch!_ ”

Hunter’s blood ran cold, and he absolutely froze. There was no mistaking the sound that she had just made, but instead of feeling elated as he had thought he would, he felt…disturbed. Like he’d walked in on his parents doing the frick-frack.

Then he had the thought of walking in on _them_ doing the frick-frack, and he groaned in horror and rolled over, stuffing his face into his pillow, repeating the inner mantra ‘kill me now’.

“Shit, come on,” Skye whispered, the sound of bare feet scurrying across linoleum followed by socked feet sliding along behind.

Screw the damn cookies, there was no way in hell he was going after them now.

* * *

 


End file.
